


A Special One for You

by bronweathanharthad



Category: Dunkirk (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:33:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28138482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bronweathanharthad/pseuds/bronweathanharthad
Summary: Peter and George have been boyfriends for a while, but this is their first Christmas since moving in together, and they each want to give a special gift for the occasion.
Relationships: Peter Dawson/George Mills
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8
Collections: winter / holidays / new years





	A Special One for You

**Author's Note:**

> title is from "Merry Christmas Darling" by the Carpenters

“I know it’s a cliché to do this on Christmas, but…”

No. That didn’t make any sense. There was nothing cliché about giving a gift on Christmas Day.

“I am madly in love with you, so in love with you that I don’t know what to do with myself sometimes. You’ve brightened my life in ways that—”

No. Far too sentimental. This wasn’t a proposal; he shouldn’t use such phrasing.

“I don’t want people to think that we’re merely flatmates.”

He rubbed his eyes. _Pull yourself together, Peter._

It was just a ring, just a piece of jewelry. It was a far cry from a wedding ring or even an engagement ring. There was no need to make an elaborate deal out of it. He didn’t even care if George decided not to wear it right away, although he had no reason to expect that George would feel that way.

And yet…

_Come on. It has to be here somewhere._

At times George cursed his inherited tendency to hold onto every photograph that had ever been taken of him and his loved ones. This was one of those times.

It shouldn’t be a big deal. If he couldn’t find the picture he was looking for, he could easily substitute another. Goodness knows he had more than enough photos of him and Peter, including plenty that predated their romance. But he wanted that yearbook. It contained the oldest photo of the two of them that George had. Peter wouldn’t care if that photo was absent, but George would.

_Maybe I’ll find it later_ , he thought. His search threatened to reach the point of stress, and he didn’t want to overthink now. There would be plenty of time for overthinking once he needed to determine which photos to use and in which order to place them.

Peter wanted a special container for the ring. If he wrapped it in the jewelry box, it would be too obvious.

Perhaps a film canister would work. It would be small enough to house the ring, but not too small.

But he couldn’t get a film canister by itself; that would certainly be suspicious. Camera film was practically obsolete at this point, and neither he nor George owned a camera that needed it.

George still preferred digital cameras over phone cameras and reminisced occasionally about an instant camera that he had as a child. Peter was fairly certain that some companies still made instant cameras.

That could work. Even if George didn’t want to wear the ring, he would still get a camera.

George stared with a frown at the dozens of photographs that lay before him.

He had attempted to categorize them – primary school, uni, holidays, special events. But even then it felt overwhelming. How in the world could he select only a few pictures among so many worthy candidates?

He knew he would include the oldest and most recent photos; that was obvious. But which Halloween picture should he choose when he had eight different ones? Which graduation photo or birthday photo? How many pictures of them kissing?

If any of the pictures were unflattering, that would prove an easy elimination. But Peter was almost infuriatingly photogenic, so that was a pointless metric.

He took another sip of cocoa. This could take a while.

Peter couldn’t find any instant cameras in local stores, but after some brief searching he found the desired camera and an appropriate film canister online.

He fidgeted with the ring, suddenly apprehensive about putting in the canister. It had seemed like a cute idea when it first came to him, but now he found himself once again having doubts. Was this too much? Should he have just wrapped the ring in its original box? Why did he have to overcomplicate everything?

He decided that he might as well commit. It would be a fun little surprise dressed up as a different gift.

He took a deep breath and placed the plain pewter gray ring in the canister. After double-checking that the lid was closed tightly, he gave the canister a kiss.

“Everything will be fine,” he told himself out loud. And it would be. George liked the gifts he gave him every Christmas; there was no reason to suspect that this year would be different.

He sat back and looked at his completed craft.

The pale tan stain of the wood would hopefully stand out on a white wall without being too garish or drawing attention away from the photos. The photos were a little unevenly spaced, but that was okay. He deliberately left space on the frame for future photos.

And he felt pretty satisfied with the photo selections. It seemed to contain a good balance of personal and academic life. He was particularly fond of a couple of the pictures, and Peter would likely share that fondness.

All he had to do now was wrap it.

With a yawn, Peter entered the living room. George, ever the early riser, was already awake.

George handed Peter a cup of tea with a kiss. “Happy Christmas, my love,” he said.

“Happy Christmas.”

George sat him down on the couch. “You first.”

To a heart-shaped wood frame George had affixed a collage of photos from their relationship. Their first school photo at primary school. A selfie taken on their first date. Couples’ costumes from a couple of Halloween parties. A photo Peter’s dad took of them when they sailed to France to commemorate the seventy-fifth anniversary of Dunkirk. A candid photo of them kissing on New Year’s Eve.

A warm smile crept across Peter’s face. “Babe,” he said, “I love it.”

“You do?”

“Of course. It’s perfect for this space.” Peter gave George a kiss and retrieved his gift.

Inside was a Polaroid instant camera. It looked the perfect size, too – not too fragile or too bulky. “Oh, I can’t wait to use it,” he said.

“There should be some film, too.” Peter said that more quietly than he would have liked. His nerves had once again picked up, and he feared that his voice gave his nerves away.

“You got film?”

“I don’t know if it’s the right kind, but…”

George opened the canister to see for himself, and the ring fell into his hand.

His eyes widened. “Peter…?”

“It’s a promise ring,” he stammered. “I just thought, you know, since we live together now…”

“Honey, relax,” he said with a smile. “I was going to thank you. Do you want to do the honors?”

Peter didn’t realize his uncertainty over George’s ring size until placed the ring onto his finger, but to his relief, it seemed to be a near-perfect fit. It was maybe a bit loose, but the jeweler could adjust the fit.

“Did you get one for yourself?” George said.

Peter blushed. “I… No. I didn’t think to.”

“Then I’ll buy you one. We can have a matching pair.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Well, if you’re promising loyalty to me, then I should promise loyalty to you.”

Peter smiled. In truth, the thought of buying a promise ring for himself never crossed his mind, although now it seemed obvious that he should have. But he would love nothing more than to wear a matching ring. “I love you,” he said.

George kissed his nose. “I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays, everyone. I know this year sucked, but you've made it through, and, to quote the blind man at the train station, that's enough.


End file.
